Sworn to Justice (1996)

You won't be disappointed!

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

SWORN TO JUSTICE is something of a mixed-bag martial arts thriller starring the one and only Cynthia Rothrock, perhaps America's best-known female martial artist. As a huge fan of Rothrock's Hong Kong movies made in the 1980s, I can report that this film is far below quality, although it's still enjoyable for fans of 1990s-era B-movie fare.Rothrock plays a psychologist (somewhat unbelievably) whose sister is brutally murdered in the opening sequence. She goes gunning for revenge against the goons who committed the crime, handily using her new-found psychic abilities unlocked thanks to a blow on the head. So you get an EYES OF LAURA MARS-type sub-plot in addition to the usual action thriller format.Rothrock has never been the world's best actress but she is likable and that's what counts. Here she's in her prime, confident enough to go near-nude in a couple of lengthy sex scenes which seem inspired by the Shannon Tweed-style erotic thrillers that were all the rage in the 1990s. She doesn't get to fight as much as I'd hoped, and unforgivably the main baddie fight at the climax is given to another actor, but she's in remarkable condition and looks great on screen.The film features three cameos from famous faces: Brad Dourif has a one-scene turn as a creepy killer, Walter Koenig is a friendly superior, and Mako a blind old-timer dispensing justice (check out his luxurious head of hair). The film randomly jumps from tragedy and emoting to lame comedy, with some of the early fights accompanied by cartoon sound effects (a guy hit on the head hears birds tweeting). These are really embarrassing. The main problem with the action, though, is that most if not all of the fights are staged at night so you can't see the performers doing what they do best. The director needs lessons in martial arts choreography and staging.

I haven't seen a Cynthia Rockrock film in a long time, and it only cost me a buck, so what the hell. besides that she shows some skin in this movie.I have to say that she still has some good moves at 40 and still has one hot bod. Just seeing her smash some bad guys is worth the buck. But, she has slowed down considerably, so don't expect Jet Li action, and the schoolgirl giggling at 40 is really off putting.Don't expect anything in the way of dialog in the picture. The premise is as corny as Ghost Whisperer and the acting is terrible. She needs to get a scriptwriter that has graduated from high school and knows more that BIFF! POW! BAM! The attempt at humor several times in the pic were lame, and "I'll show you mine, if you show me yours," is bad even if it is karate they are talking about.Hell, it was just a buck.

**SPOILERS** Interrupting a burglary at her sisters, Shelly, high-rise apartment criminal defense psychologist and martial-arts expert Janna Dane has it out with the four robbers and then, when they open fire on her, ending up jumping from the balcony and after breaking her fall. Janna ends up slamming into a tree-branch and lands smack dab on her head knocking herself out cold. With the police later on the scene of the crime it's found that both Janna's sister and nephew Michael were brutally murdered by the robbers. Later Janna also finds that her experience of almost cracking her head open also opened up her ability to get in touch with her psychic self. Working in the court system as a defense expert witness on the criminal mind, and what makes it tick, Janna is now bothered by getting killers, like those who murdered her kid sister and nephew, off by day while a the same time being a vigilante avenger against those same types of hoods by night. Janna later learns by touching a murder suspects weapon, a knife that he killed a policeman with, whom she's defending was one of the thugs who were involved in her sisters and nephew's murder. This makes it very difficult for Janna to do her job, as an expert witness for criminals like Slate, in the courts anymore.The group of thugs who killed both Shelly and Michael belong to a gang of ex-convicts run by this sadistic psycho Eugene who's being controlled and used by someone very high up in the city's justice system. Janna goes after this "Mr. Big", or what he likes to be called "The Man", but to get to him she has to take on the entire Eugene crime organization which turns out to be a task that not only taxes her fighting an psychic abilities but takes the lives of those near and dear to her as well. Cute, as well as beautiful, and spunky Cynthia Rothrock, as Janna Dane, is in top form and is far more effective and believable in her fight sequences then her love interest in the movie, and also martial-arts expert, Kurt McKinney who plays lawyer and psychic book publisher Nicholas who comes across as a long behind second in the fight scenes that their both in. Being an five-year undefeated martial-arts woman champion in real life Cynthia doesn't need to have a double or any special effects to make her role look genuine and her kicks and punches are powerful enough to put down and knock out not only one but a couple of men, at one time, twice her size. Going out in the streets at night to grind down the Eugene Gang in a number of sizzling fight sequence's Janna finally gets the person behind all their criminal activities non other then Santa Martin Police Detective Sgt. Briggs, Tony Lo Bionco. Sgt. Briggs has been blackmailing Eugene & Co. by threatening to put them back behind bars for life if they didn't follow his orders. Which were to shake down car shops and dealerships in the neighborhood and force them into chopping up stolen cars, that the Eugene Gang hijacks. Then have the gang pay more then 60% of the profits back to the gangsters which Briggs gets a nice chunk of change off. With Eugene and his friends put out of action by both Janna and later her boyfriend Nick Sgt. Briggs is left all alone to not only face the music but also Janna's lethal and lighting-like "Scorpion Kick".

This is the third movie with Cynthia Rothrock movie I've seen after "Guardian Angel" and "Redemption". By popular opinion this is one of her best so if that is anything to go by, I will certainly not be actively seeking out anymore of her movies. While she demonstrates her martial arts skills to good effect in this, the plot is stupid, the production values are poor and above all, it's boring.Starting with the positives, I'll give Cynthia Rothrock credit in that she certainly knows what she's doing when it comes to the fight scenes. The choreography is pretty good and one such scene where she fights off robbers with a roll of tape is fun to watch and just about the only nice touch here. The rest of the action scenes are passable, although there's little that really stands out and they are far too few and far between. Much of the movie is mind numbingly boring and for much of the time I ended up turning towards my computer and doing other things, only glancing at it when something interesting happened rather than paying full attention to the movie. Half of the problem lies in Cynthia Rothrock herself. I'll give her credit that it does seem she's trying a bit harder than she did in "Guardian Angel", as her character is a little more upbeat and displays more than one facial expression throughout the movie. She is still not good though, but part of the problem lies in the character she is given. It's obvious they wanted the character to come off as sexy but it doesn't work. Dressing a short, muscular and dumpy looking 40 year old woman in short skirts and heels isn't fooling me. It also makes the character laughably unbelievable as a psychologist and even harder to like. Not only that, but this film has some of the least erotic sex scenes I've ever seen which I found myself skipping through.The rest of the movie is so dull and forgettable that I can barely remember it despite only having watched it a couple of days ago. However, one part that had me roaring with laughter was towards the end when the lead villain shows Cynthia Rothrock's character the burnt corpse of his dead brother. Instead of using a dummy, they have applied makeup to the actor himself and you can even see him blink! How hard is it to cut that? Such bloopers shows that nobody really cares, and neither should you.Overall I could never recommend this to anyone. Fans of Cynthia Rothrock (there appears to be such a thing) will watch it regardless but anyone expecting a good martial arts flick will be sorely disappointed. A poorly plotted, poorly acted, poorly paced flick with little action and no likable characters. Avoid.